Finding life on other planets would be one of the most amazing experiences in the history of mankind.

And we just got a little closer.

A huge new cache of exoplanets has been announced. And of the 1000 or so, 54 are in that nice little band where H2O is watery and atmospheres are balmy.

Scores of Earth-like planets orbit sun-like stars scattered throughout the Milky Way, NASA scientists said today. This morning, the agency released data on more than 1,000 new exoplanets, and early indications are that 54 of them are at just the right distance from their stars to harbor life as we know it.